Automatic firearm



Aug. 25, 1936. G. END 2,052,287

AUTOMATIC FIREARM Fuga Jan. 25, 1934 2 sheets-sheet 2 28 2l 6l 22x25.

lll/111112111111111' Patented Aug. 25, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT oEFicE AUTOMATIC FIREARM of Switzerland Application January 25, 1934, Serial No. 708,305 In Switzerland February 10, 1933 5 Claims.

' which is reliable and of simple mechanism and operation.

It is well known that increased initial velocity and therewith increased range and accuracy of a fire-arm necessitate a long barrel, a barrel which for instance is longer than that used in the known automatic pistols. In known constructions having short barrels, it is suflicient to use an inertia breech closure in which a large mass, constructed as a breech closing piece rests on the bottom of the cartridge to be fired and is driven back by the gas pressure. During this rearward movement, the inertia mass carries the cartridge case with it by means of an extractor and removes it from the cartridge chamber of the barrel. As long as the shot is in the barrel and the gas pressure therein is high, the amount of this rearward movement must not exceed a certain maximum, in order to avoid splitting the cartridge case and the consequences connected therewith. The inertia weight must therefore be made large with the length of barrel hitherto usual, whileI a lengthening of the barrel would, however, bring with it a further and very considerable increase of the inertia weight. The known 4d taining the simplicity of the inertia breech closure.

A further feature of the invention resides in the particular construction of the magazine.

According to the present invention an automatic iire arm is provided with a large pivoted magazine which for use can be moved into a position substantially at right angles to' the barrel and when not required for use can be moved into hitherto caused thereby is obviated as the magazine is pivotallymounted on the iire arm and the end of the barrel. further forward alone, and lifts the tooth I8 of is adapted to be folded into the stock when not m use.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of features to be hereinafter described fully and particularly 5 pointed out in the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 shows the automatic fire-arm in section with opened breech block and ready for iiring;

Figs. 2 and 3 are longitudinal sections through 10 the closed weapon.

Figs. 4 and 5 are sectional elevations of part of the re arm with open and closed breech respectively and with the magazine in its inoperative position.

'Ihe fixed barrel I is secured to a casing 2 in which a breech closing block 3 and a bolt 4 are slidably arranged. The casing 2 is closed by the breech closure cap 5, which carries pin 6 on which a closing spring v1 is arranged. The closing spring 1 projects in a bore of the bolt 4 and acts in known manner on the bolt 4; it tends to closethe breech. On the casing 2 is hinged by V means of the pin 8 a bush 9 in which is detachably inserted the magazine I0; II is a pawl mounted on the sleeve 9 which prevents by projecting under a nose the magazine I Il from falling out of the bush III accidentally.

In the position shown in Fig. 1 the bolt 4 is prevented from being moved by the spring 1 by 30 the catch I2 of the sear. At the front end the bolt 4 has a horizontal supporting surface I4, an inclined surface I3 adjacent to face I4 serving for unlocking the block 4 and an inclined surface I5 serving for the locking of the block 3. The surfaces I3 and I5 co-operate with a coupling tooth I8 of the breech closing block 3, the tooth I8 of the breech closing block 3 serving to connect the latter to the bolt 4 when the latter recoils and moves in the longitudinal direction of the casing 2. At its front end. the bolt 4 carries a ring pin I9 rigidly connected with it. 'Ihe front face 2U of the breech closing block 3 is, in the position shown in Fig. 1 behind the magazine I 0. On the release of the bolt 4 by moving the sear I2 by the trigger the bolt 4 and the breech closing block 3 are moved as a unit along the casing 2 by the spring 'l until the front face 20 of the breech closing block 3 bears against The bolt 4 then moves the breech closing block 3 by means of the in' clined surface I5 and thus the breech closing block 3 itself; the supporting surface I6 of the bolt 4 then slides under the tooth I8 until the 55 I end of the breech closing block 3.'

When ring the cartridge, the breech closing latter comes into contact with the surface I1 Y of the bolt 4 (Fig. 2). The breech closing block 3 is supported by the tooth I8 o`n the "surface I6 and takes up an inclined position, The upper part of the breech closing block 3 is lifted by the bolt 4 into the ejection opening 22 .of the casing 2, so far that the rear face 23 of the breech closing block 3 may strikeagainst-the surface 25 of the ejection opening 22 as shown in Fig. 3. The length of the ejection'opening 22 and that of the breech closingblock 3 is .so dimensioned that thereV is a free space between the surfaces 23 and 24.with closed breech (Fig. 2);`

Under the action of the closing spring 1, the bolt 4 bears withthe surface I1 against the yrear block 3 by reason of the pressure of the gas is moved back until it Vbears with its surface 23 against the surface 24 ofthe casing 2. The bolt 4 holds the breech closing block 3 `in this locked` position (Fig. 3), as the supporting surface I3- holds the tooth I8 in the raised position. .When withdrawing the bolt 4 the breech closing block 3 remains in the position shown in Fig. 3 until the supporting surface I6 passes from under the tooth I8 and the inclined surface I3 of the bolt 4 engages with the front inclined surface of the tooth I8 on the breech closing block 3. 'Ihe 4breech closing block 3 bearing against the surface 24 cannot at rst follow the bolt but is first drawn downwards, and only when the surface- 23 is disengaged from the surface 2 4 the block v3 is retracted. The breech closing block 3 has then taken up a horizontal position and is coupled with'the bolt 4 in the longitudinal direction by the tooth I8; it then follows the further backward movement of the bolt 4 into the open position. The bolt 4 moves the breech closingblock 3 quickly with it into the rear position. During this movement it also withdraws the cartridge case by means of an extractor 25,1ixed to the block 3 and engages with its fone end a recess in the cartridge chamber, the cartridge beingA then 'ejected by the ejector 26. The unlocking operation is such that it does not take place until after the bullet has left the barrel, which is particularly vsuitable with the present lengthened barrel. By the time the breech closing block 3 reaches the supporting surface 24, the bullet has already passed a certain distance; moreover the bolt 4 requires a certain time to move its surface I6 from under the tooth I8 of the breech clos- V ing blo'ck 3, whereupon onlythe unlockingtakes 'place.- 'I'he bolt 4,. in consequenceof its mass andvelocity .of recoil, is enabled to carry I the eoV breech closing blocks bacs with' it anni to ten- With known linertia, breech cl'ising arrangements, its mass must be so large that it doesnot passbeyond this position at the `moment of lthe exit of the cartridge. This result can beobtained with a large mass and short `length of barrel and the use of so-called pre-ignition. lThe effect of the latter is that-the inertia breech closure only takes up its forward position from winch it is then thrown back, when the cartridgehas already passed over a: certain distance,l the firing pre-ignition distance. The distance recognized in the casing.

www y as permissible Iorftherecoilf-of the cartridgecase vundergas pressureis in such. a case'reached duringthe passage off. ecartridge, in thebarrel over l the totaldistacfimus the; preignition distance.j A lengthening' ofv this'distance, that is, of the-1V length; of the barrel, consequently has. other conditions. being they same, a more than proportionalv effect on the corresponding vamount of travel of thecartridge case. Owing to the construction according to the invention of the breech 'closure it become possible to select freely the `lengtlicfvf thefbarrel' to an extent which is quite -impracticablewith theknown inertia breech closure arrangement, and this greatly increases the value ofl'thepresent breech closure.

. I'he gaspressure acting on the cartridge is uti- "lized' in a `no vel manner; constructions-megas pressure brings the breech Contrary to known closing block into its locking position. AThe breech closing block rst passes. into the locking Vposition during the passage through the free space between the'su'rfaces 23 and .24 in 2. The breech closureA remainsin the unlocked position only during the rst part of the movement ofthe cartridge, fw'hereupon it moves into the locked position shown in Fig. 3 r in which it then `remains during the further movement of the cartridge through the barrel, the exit of the cartridge from the barrel, and the outflow of the rgases .had previously transmitted the impulse necessary for-'this purpose. With this object, the

vsupporting 'surface I6 is 'provided on the bolt, the `extension .in'lengththereof giving the desired period of retardation -before the unlocking.

The choice of "the length of barrel is no longer restricted by. consideration of the reliability ofoperation but'c'an be asfdesired.

1 The tooth I8 maybe arranged on the bolt 4, in this case a recess is to be formed in the breech closure block 3.

In place of the Wall 24 another abutment for the breech closure block 3 may be formed with-A The magazine I8 when not required for use lies along the barrel and the recess 28 of the stock 21 of the weapon. 'Ihe magazine I0 which by means of the bush l9 rocks about the-pin 8, fits snugly into the recess 28, inthe stock '21 in the swung-in position (Figs .2, '3) lying approximately parallel tothe-barrel I, the portion29 of the stock covering litat the front. 'I'he magazine I0 is easily interchangeableforthe use of cartridges of different calibres, e. g.-7.63, 7.65 and 9 The magazine isheld inthe recess-28 by a cover 38 pivoted at 3 3. The-,cover 30 is provided with two lateralpiece's 3| for closing the'rear end of the Arecess 28.: )The cover is pressedinto the Aclosing position by a spring 32.

In Fig. 4 the fire-arm is shown with open breechv 60 magazine. During this movement the bar 31 en- 65 gages a projection 38 on the cover 30 thus rocking the latter downwardly and'releasing y the bush 8. The -lattervdrops' undertheaction of gravity or of a spring-not shown, together with the magazine IIlrocks about i'tsfpivot` IS'lopening the cover` 38, and assuming'the' position' shown in Fig. 1. .In

this position the bush 9 engages with a hook 39 on the c'ov`er13Il.V` By moving the safety catch 34 from safe (position S) to fire (position F),

the rie is ready for firing.

'I'he magazine l0 and the bush 9 can. according to a modiiied construction, be arranged to rock laterally or in another direction under the innuence of a suitable spring.

The empty magazine III may be replaced readily by a full one. The magazine I Il, when the safety catch 34 is in the position S safe may be left in the extended operating position or be rocked into the recess 28. For the latter purpose, the cover 30 must be drawn slightly backwards so that its hook 39 releases the bush. When the bush has been moved into the recess 28, the upper end is engaged by the cover 30, thus locking it. This locking, however, cannot occur until the safety catch 34 has been moved to the position S safe. When the magazine is in the recess 28 the locking pawl I I cannot be disengaged accidentally, so that the magazine IU cannot be lost.

When it is not desirable to make the cover 30 independent of the position of the safety catch, or if the safety catch is arranged in such a manner that the cover 30 is independent thereof, the cover bar 31 may be omitted. The side pieces 3l then serve as a grip for moving the cover 30 which can then be moved independently of the safety catch 34.

In the example of construction according to Fig. 5 the bush 9 is not arranged to rock but is fixed in position. When the magazine lll is not required for use it also in this case rests in a recess 28 of the stock. One end thereof rests on a support 4I secured to the portion 29 whilst its other end is engaged by a projection on the locking catch Il.

When the magazine is to be placed into the bush the catch I I is pressed so as to disengage its projection from the magazine. The latter is thus released and can be inserted into the bush 9. If desired the catch Il could be associated with the safety catch 34 in the same way as the cover 30 in the example of construction shown in Figs. 1 to 4.

A cover may be tted in a similar manner to the previous arrangement but simply for closing the magazine opening. 'Ihe arrangement according to Fig. 5 has the advantage that in addition to the long magazine I0 in the recess of the stock, a short magazine 4I) may be tted into the bush 9 as shown by dotted lines, without affecting the portability of the rifle. Independently of the position of the safety catch and breach block, this short magazine may be replaced by the long magazine and placed in the butt stock when not required for use. A

What I wish to secure by U. S. Letters Patent .1. In a'n automatic fire arm, a xed casing having a cartridge ejection opening provided with a locking face, a fixed barrel connected with the casing; and a breech mechanism comprising a post movable longitudinally in an axial direction of the barrel to and from the rear end of the same, and a breech closing block carried by said post to be movable therewith and also adapted to move independently relatively to the post; said post and said breech block being provided with coacting means to cause the breech block to assume an inclined position with its rear end raised into said ejection opening and its front end engaging the rear end of the barrel when the post executes its forward stroke to close said breech mechanism, said coacting means upon firing causing a simultaneous rearward movement of said post and said breech block until the latter engages said locking face on said ejection opening whereby said breech block is locked in its closing position and is maintained in this position until the bullet has left the barrel, by the post which continues its rearward movement, whereupon during the remaining portion of the rearward movement of said post said coacting means caus- 5 ing unlocking of said breech block and rearward movement of the same together with said post.

2. In an automatic fire arm, a xed casing having a cartridge ejection opening provided with a locking face, a fixed barrel connected with the 10 casing; and a breech mechanism comprising a post movable longitudinally in an axial direction of the barrel to and from the rear end of the same, and a breech closing block carried by said post to be movable therewithrand also adapted l5 to move independently relatively to the post; said post and said breech block being provided with coacting inclined faces to cause the breech block to assume an inclined position with its rear end raised into said ejection opening and its front 20 end engaging the rear end of the barrel when the post executes its forward stroke to close said breech mechanism, a ring pin on the front end of said post adapted to reach its ring position just after the breech mechanism nas been closed, 25 said coacting inclined faces upon ring causing a simultaneous rearward movement of said post and said breech block until the rear end of the latter engages said locking face on said ejection opening whereby said breech block is locked in 30 its closing position and is maintained in this position until the bullet has left the barrel, by the post which continues its rearward movement, whereupon during the remaining portion of the rearward movement of said post said coacting 35 inclined faces causing unlocking of said breech block by moving its rear end downwardly away from said locking face and then rearwardly together with said post to open the breech mechanism.

3. In an automatic fire arm, a fixed casing having a cartridge ejection opening provided with a locking face, a fixed barrel connected with the casing; and a breech mechanism comprising a post movable longitudinally in an axial direction of the barrel to and from the rear end of the same, and a breech closing block carried by said post to be movable therewith and also adapted to move independently relatively to the post, said post and said breech block being provided with coacting means to cause the breech block to assume an inclined position with its rear end raised into said ejection opening and its front end engaging the rear end of the barrel when the post executes its forward stroke to close said breech mechanism, the rear end of said breech block being moved past said locking face during the forward stroke of said post, said rear end when raised and when the front end of the breech block engages the rear end of the barrel being spaced a predetermined distance from said locE- ing face, said coacting means upon firing causing a simultaneous rearward movement of said post and said breech block until the rear end of the latter engages said locking face, whereby said 65 breech block is locked in its closing position and is maintained in this position until the bullet has left the barrel, by the post which continues its rearward movement, whereupon during the remaining portion of the rearward movement of said post said coacting means causing unlocking of said breech block and rearward movement of the same together with said post.

4. In an automatic re arm, a fixed casing having a cartridge ejection opening and a locking 75 face, a fixed barrel connected with the casing; and a breech mechanism comprising a post movable longitudinally in an axial direction of the barrel toand from the rear end of the same,l a breech closing block carried by said post to be movable therewith and also adapted to 'move independently relatively to the post, and aspring acting on said post and adapted to move the same together with said breech block forwardly, said post and said breech block being provided with coacting inclined faces to cause the breech block to assume an inclined position with its rear end raised into 'said ejection opening and its front` er'd engaging the rear end of the barrel when ,the post executes its forward stroke to close said breech mechanism, the rear end of said breech block being moved past said locking face during the forward stroke of said post to lie a predetermined distance away from the same when the front end engages the rear end yof the barrel, said coacting inclined faces upon firing causing a simultaneous rearward movement of said post and said breech block until the rear end of the latter engages said locking face whereby said breech block is locked in its closing position and is maintained in this position until the bullet has left the barrel, by a horizontal surface on the post which continues its rearward movement, whereupon during the remaining portion of the rearward movement of said post said coacting inclined faces causing unlocking of said breech block by moving its rear end downwardly away from said locking face and then rearwardly together with said post to open the breech mechanism and tensioning said spring.

5. In an automatic fire arm, a fixed casing having a cartridge ejection opening provided with a locking face, a fixed barrel connected with the 5 casing; and a breech mechanism comprising a. post movable longitudinally in an axial direction of the barrel to and from the rear end of the same, and a breech closing block carried by said post to be movable therewith and also adapted to move independently relatively to the post; said post and said breech block being provided with abutting facs at right angles to the direction of movement and also with coacting inclined faces causing the breech block to assume an inclined position with its rear end raised into said ejection opening and its front end engaging the rear end of the barrel when the post executes its forward stroke to close said breech mechanism, said coacting faces upon ring causing a simultaneous 20 rearward movement of said post and said breech block until the latter engages said locking face on said ejection opening whereby said breech block is locked in its closing position and is maintained in this position until the bullet has left the 25 barrel, by the post which continues its rearward movement whereupon during the remaining portion of the rearward movement of said post said coacting means causing unlocking of said breech block and rearward movement of the same to- 30 gether with said post.

' GOTTHARD END. 

